We use a very nice Fidigidaire dorm fridge-freezer (that DS no longer needs) in the breakfast bar. For the price it's not bad. It holds pop, juice, yogurt, jams, peanut butter and water. A boxed pizza fits in the freezer (it doesn't fit in the FD Fridge). Replacing it with something similar would be easy, especially since it is free standing. It's easy to move when I want to rearrange the kitchen.

Here are the draw backs: I gave up designing a cabinet for the fridge in the new kitchen. It's too complicated to hide. The temperature drops inexplicably and the beverages sometime freeze. We would like an energy star-rated small fridge, but I can't find one. I doubt this one is.

Our downstairs furnace has been out since yesterday so it's very cold in the kitchen. I was thinking it would be easy to move the dorm fridge up stairs in the little eating area. I may if the furnace is still out tonight! Couldn't do that with a built-in.

Yeah, me too, I don't get it that there are only two price ranges, Haier Sanyo Moffat etc at $100-250 or GE U-Line SubZero etc at $1000+. They almost all have a single door that goes to the floor (no kickplate), and internals like molded door shelving designed for soda pop and 2L containers. Yuk.

Some make exceptions: Summit, Avanti, Danby, Haier, LG...

Based on what you have said I think you would want a Summit in the price range of a few hundred $.

As far as I know, they are all good at keeping drinks cool, but they are not designed for highly perishable items so they are not "real" fridges.

David

In our Kitchen/DR remodel we did a beverage center in DR and were sold a U-line undercounter fridge by Remodeling Company. It has a cabinet front and partially recessed toe kick for an almost built in look. Price installed was around $1000. The fridge is not worth it by any stretch of the imagination. It is basically a dressed up dorm or office fridge. Probably same box and compressor as a Sears. I spent almost 3 hours refining the door closure. In other words it would not close properly as installed. I actually re-hung the hinges to get the unit to level properly then had to change the hinge attachments since it comes with sheet metal screws threaded into plastic trim as fastening for the door. Entire hinge attachment wobbled like it would fall off any moment. Unit was too high to fit properly - to be level alongside standard cabinetry. Adjustable feet had sharp metal burrs which scratched our new hardwood floor.

IMO only reason remodellers sell these is because of a protected market by mfgr. Installers could never have spent the time I did to get it work right. I wonder how many of these get pulled afterwards. In the end I conclude it is jsut a piece of junk.

Sometimes in life you get what you pay for. With U-line it's a different story. You pay for a Porsche and get a Yugo.

The main difference between these fridges are that some are meant to be built in and have vents in the front to get rid of hot air and others are meant to be freestanding (near air space around them). I have a Uline undercounter fridge with an ice maker and I really like it. It is really quiet and has worked flawlessly for over 4years. It keeps drinks and fruit very cool and has a temperature adjustment. Mine is not an integrated model but has a black or stainless door option. You can also replace the door at a later date if you prefer.

Good luck!

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I just have a cheap Haier 4.6 Cu Ft mini fridge in my bar area. It's main purpose is to hold "adult beverages" and works just fine. I paid like $120 for the all black model at Menards. The stainless steel door model was an additional $40. Works fine and is decently quiet. It is just sitting under a shelf under my bar. It is not really an enclosed space,as there is six inches on top and nothing to the sides. The Haier has no coil on the back, instead it is built into the sides like a chest freezer.